Dennis - Campaign: D-Day: Overlord

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This electronic edition published in 2019 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

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First published in Great Britain in 2019

Osprey Publishing Ltd, Warlord Games, 2019

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ISBN: 978-1-4728-3896-4 (PB)
ISBN: 978-1-4728-3895-7 (eBook)
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ISBN: 978-1-4728-3897-1 (XML)

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Contents

WHAT IS THIS BOOK?

This book is a supplement to the miniature wargaming system Bolt Action, set in the monumental maelstrom known as the Second World War, World War Two, or the Great Patriotic War to the Russians. In order to use the content in this book, the reader must know the rules and content of the Bolt Action rulebook. In addition, the reader may need access to one or more of the Armies of . books which outline and provide rules for many of the units and equipment used by the armies in this book, mainly those of the United States, found in the Armies of the United States book, Britain and Canada, found in the Armies of Great Britain book and those of Germany, found in the Armies of Germany supplement.

The day and battle that is the focus of this book is one of the most pivotal and celebrated not only in the history of the Second World War, but that of world history: D-Day, June 6th, 1944, the opening of a second front in Europe. Not only for its historical and military significance, but also because of the iconic and cultural impression it has left. When people think of bravery, or sacrifice, they are imbued with mental imagery of soldiers storming the beaches of Normandy, made all the more vivid by works of popular culture (film, tv, computer games etc), education of our youth, scholarly works of history, and days of remembrance for our war veterans.

D-Day or, as D-Day was known by its planners, Operation Neptune (the first phase of the overall plan to liberate Fortress Europe: Overlord), was a combined operation of truly gargantuan proportions the likes of which we may never see again. It was the fruit of years of planning, training and preparation. A bringing together of the best military, scientific, and engineering minds to overcome what was seen as one of the greatest manmade bulwarks ever created; the Atlantic Wall. In the two years prior to D-Day the Allies amassed stockpiles of the materiel in preparation for the invasion. Aircraft, ships, landing craft, artillery, and tanks in the tens of thousands, five million tons of invasion supplies, while a million and a half servicemen were stationed in England ready to take on Hitlers armies in France. The logistics of the operation were astounding. The invasion fleets themselves numbered over 7,000 craft, while the tactical and strategic aircraft supporting the invasion were around 8,000 in number. The 150,000 ground troops carried aboard the ships of the invasion fleet as well as a further 20,000 involved in the airborne assault on D-Day, would pry open Hitlers Atlantic Wall creating a foothold the Allies would exploit with their superiority in material and manpower.

This book will look at D-Day through the eyes of wargamers who seek to recreate the heroic deeds of the soldiers involved in the battle to forge a second front and, ultimately, defeat Nazi Germany. These pages are filled with units, heroes, and scenarios recreating the battles fought by the airborne units that were the first to set foot in occupied France, the soldiers wading ashore on the beaches of Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno, and Sword, and the battles fought inland by the Allies to widen the beach head and achieve their D-Day objectives. Whilst this book solely focuses on the events of June 6th 1944 two other books will deal with the US, Canadian, and British breakouts from the beachheads.

The first 24 hours of the invasion will be decisive for the Allies, as well as for Germany, it will be the longest day. Field Marshall Erwin Rommel